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New Zealand have reached the T20 World Cup semis as underdogs, and emotions are already running high for two of the team’s most celebrated players

Valkerie Baynes16-Oct-2024Sophie Devine struggled to keep it together.The emotions had already spilled over after reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals as probably the biggest underdogs until West Indies did it 24 hours later. Now her focus turned to sharing that moment with fellow White Ferns stalwart Suzie Bates and it was almost too much.”Jeez, you’re going to make me cry again, get the tissues ready,” Devine said before taking a long pause and a deep breath to ensure she could get the rest of her words out.”Sometimes I forget how lucky I’ve been to play with Suze. I forget how lucky I am that not everyone gets to play with Suzie Bates and that’s not just what she does on the field, it’s what she does off the park.”You talk to any cricketer that’s had the joy of playing alongside her, playing against her, and they’ll say that she’s one of the greatest humans ever. For us to be here in this tournament, it might be our last, who knows?”But to be able to have a little moment there and just connect with one another, it is really special because we’ve been through a lot together. We’ve grown up together. She’s probably grown up a bit more than me, but she’s just such a special human, not only to me, but to New Zealand cricket and to world cricket.”She’ll go down as one of the absolute legends of the women’s game and to think that I’ve been so lucky to spend my whole career playing alongside her… she’s taught me so much, not only as a leader but just as a person and to always want to be better for yourself and for the group.”Related

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• Hope, grit, resolve: emotions overflow amid New Zealand's revival

Bates made her debut in an ODI against India in 2006 aged 19, just a few months before a 17-year-old Devine made her first appearance for the White Ferns on their tour of Australia. Devine also made her T20I debut on that trip while Bates had to wait until the following year.Back then, Bates was still maintaining a elite-level basketball career, representing New Zealand at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before switching her focus to cricket.She has now played 169 T20Is and 163 ODIs with more than 10,000 runs and 136 wickets across the two formats, while Devine has 7,233 runs and 208 wickets from a career punctuated by a brief mental health break in 2021.New Zealand hadn’t reached the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup in eight years so, with both approaching the end of their careers, this meant a lot.”She was a bit emotional, Soph,” Bates told ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast. “It just makes all those hard times when perhaps you’ve doubted yourself, you’ve doubted where the group’s heading and as leaders you’re trying to rack your brain about how to move forward, there’s some good times but there’s some dark times as well when you don’t quite achieve what you want to achieve.”Moments out there when you take that final wicket and realise we’ve made it to the semi-final for the first time in eight years, it makes all those tough times worth it.”Devine had said before the tournament that it would be her last assignment as T20I captain. She will continue to lead the side in ODIs but wanted to clear a path for the next generation.”Her leadership this tournament after announcing she was going to step down has just been absolutely brilliant,” Bates said. “She wears her heart on her sleeve and I know as a leader she takes the losses pretty hard so to be able to get that one for her in her last tour as captain, everyone was a bit emotional and she’s been such a great leader of this squad so it’s nice for her to have this feeling.”It wasn’t the first time Devine had been reduced to tears at a T20 World Cup but, unlike in South Africa 20 months ago, she was happy. Back then, the White Ferns’ campaign was in tatters following heavy back-to-back defeats at the hands of Australia and South Africa and the road ahead looked so very long.Even earlier this year, Devine had spoken of a lack of depth coming through the New Zealand system because of a small population, competing sports and a need to bridge the gap between elite and development pathways.Things didn’t look to be improving immediately before the World Cup either as New Zealand entered the tournament having lost 10 T20Is in a row to England and Australia. They even lost a warm-up game against England two days beforehand.But a comprehensive win over South Africa in another warm-up just before that, followed by their upset of India in their opening World Cup game gave the White Ferns confidence.Devine performed well in both those victories, but throughout the tournament she has been impressed by youngsters like spinners Eden Carson and Fran Jonas and 20-year-old wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze.On the bench for New Zealand’s final group game against Pakistan, whom they thrashed by 54 runs to seal their place in the last four, were young seamer Molly Penfold, and experienced bowlers Jess Kerr, Hannah Rowe and Leigh Kasperek, which Devine saw as a promising sign for the future, which had looked bleak not so long ago.”Well, one thing’s still the same, I seem to be crying,” Devine said. “It’s really important that we reflect on where we’ve come from in terms of that South Africa World Cup. We learnt a lot about ourselves not only from that World Cup but the following 12-18 months.”It’s going to take time to build depth, especially in a country as small as New Zealand, it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s really positive signs, but we know that this is just part of the journey. We’re moving in the right direction, but there’s still a long way to go.”Sophie Devine on her relationship with Suzie Bates: “We genuinely just love each other and love seeing each other succeed”•Getty ImagesWhile a T20 captain won’t be chosen until next year, a logical choice could be Amelia Kerr. She has acted as stand-in captain before and is often seen talking tactics and moving fielders with Devine and Bates, representing the blend of experience and youth between the squad’s newcomers and the old heads.At just 24, Kerr has played 83 T20Is and 74 ODIs and has been a fixture on the global franchise circuit. Heading into the semi-finals, she is the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 10 at an average of 7.20 and economy rate of 4.90.”That was probably one of my earliest learnings when I stepped into the leadership and captaincy role, I thought I could be everything to everyone and it’s just not possible,” Devine said.”I want to fix things and I want to help people and I want to make sure everyone’s okay, but I’m also not that person for everyone. So, to be able to call on the likes of Suzie and Melie as well, I feel really fortunate that I’ve got that support around me.”It’s taught me a lot around leadership. It’s not managing people, it’s just relationships and caring about people. That’s one of our greatest values in this White Ferns group, is we speak a lot about caring for one another as people before cricketers.”I hope that you can see that out there with the way that we celebrate one another’s successes. We genuinely just love each other and love seeing each other succeed.”

It’s not only his performances but also his data-driven approach that has played a part in Pakistan getting to the final

Osman Samiuddin12-Nov-20222:03

What makes Shadab so successful in Australia?

Before the start of this tournament, Shadab Khan was asked to rate Pakistan’s reliance on data analytics in T20 on a scale of 1 to 10. He answered with words, not numbers, but if ever words represented a solid five, this was it. Difficult to say. Franchises are different. International cricket is different. Hmmm. Haww. Not reliant on it. Not disregarding it.Shadab is a poster boy of the Islamabad United data dynasty. He gets it. He applies it. He believes in it. He is also the vice-captain of a Pakistan team where the captain is not a great believer in match-ups, where a religious philosopher doubles as a coach and a mentor who is a man of words that don’t always make sense. At the last T20 World Cup, almost the same Pakistan side were mostly ignoring – politely – data-based tactical advice they were getting from analysts, and they reached the semi-finals unbeaten. Shadab gets this too. He believes in this too.Related

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But this happy accommodation – Shadab of the Pakistan ethos, Pakistan of Shadab – captures something intrinsic about this latest Pakistan ride, of which Shadab has been the absolute beating heart. A ride fuelled by a little bit of data, a little bit of (prayer) and a whole lot of Pakistan.

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History repeats itself, the saying should go, first as Pakistan cricket, then as a meme. The 1992 parallels have long gone viral, but there’s a more compelling one from an individual performance from Pakistan’s second world title. Trent Bridge, 2009 and you know where this is headed: the coronation of Shahid Afridi, 13 years into his career. A fifty first, the blown kiss for Jacques Kallis and then the iconic castling of Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers in four balls to set up Pakistan for the final.In Sydney, a little over a week ago, against South Africa, in another must-win game, Shadab dismissed Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram in the space of three balls to unhinge the chase. Earlier he had rescued Pakistan with a 22-ball 52, like Afridi in 2009, his first fifty in an ICC event. No kisses were blown.Memory says the Shadab ball to dismiss Markram might have resembled Afridi’s to de Villiers but Youtube proves otherwise. Afridi was getting so much drift in those days, each ball was like a fully formed character out of a Kerouac novel. But the Markram delivery was almost identical to Shadab’s own dismissal of Markram from the only other time he’s bowled to him, in a World Cup game three years ago. A flipper maybe, or a toppie, a goodie definitely: across nine balls, it’s bowled Markram twice.Shadab Khan is a big draw in this Pakistan team•ICC via Getty ImagesThis isn’t a coronation, not yet anyway, more an arrival. Shadab’s been a gun for a while, but he’s now stamped his presence all over a global event. He’s a genuine shot for player of the tournament though if it’s just a fan vote, only one guy is winning that (You don’t even have to scroll down. He’s right there).Shadab still considers himself a legspinner first, though his batting has come on so sharply in recent years soon it might not be so easy to agree. But it’s perhaps the highest compliment to his bowling in this tournament that it has made the central issue of his batting – to be higher up the order more often – redundant.He’s offered Pakistan essential control in those middle overs, foremost with 10 wickets – the most by any bowler in that phase at the tournament (to have bowled at least 30 balls). That’s one wicket less than Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid and Adam Zampa combined. Among spinners, his economy rate of 6.59 is the fifth best, and he’s basically as good as the most economical spinners because only 0.22 per over separates him from top spot.That fifty against South Africa was no fluke though. Since 2020, he’s one of just three players in all T20s to have scored over 1000 runs and taken 100 wickets (Samit Patel and Jason Holder are the other two). Dig a bit more into that period* and he’s the only player alongside Mohammad Nabi to have at least 10 scores of 30+ at a strike rate above 150 as well as at least 10 innings where he’s bowled his full quota of four overs and conceded less than six per over. Most teams would love to have a player tick one of those boxes: Shadab ticks both. No surprise either that ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats has him as the fifth-most impactful T20 player in the world since 2020.So he might call himself a legspinner, but he’s as all-round as they come, not least when his fielding is factored in. He’s the best fielder in the best fielding side Pakistan has ever put out at a global event. The run-out of Devon Conway in the semi-final was an electric and pivotal moment, but in the canon of Shadab run-outs, hardly spectacular. All three stumps, nice and easy bounce for the pick-up – if he’d missed it, it would’ve been surprising.

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Shadab Khan might call himself a legspinner, but he’s as all-round as they come•Getty ImagesIn his first season as captain, Shadab’s Islamabad were chasing 183 against Lahore Qalandars at Gaddafi Stadium. They were 5-2 at the end of the second, both openers gone. Until that point Shadab had mostly batted lower down, usually at seven.The story goes that he reasoned to coach Misbah-ul-Haq that he should go in at four. The chase was a tall one and going in himself was a way of maximising resources. He would go hard from ball one and if he failed, it would hardly be a dent on batting resources with Colin Ingram, Asif Ali and Hussain Talat to come.As it turns out, his 29-ball 52 helped Islamabad win a raucous game, but more than the potential of his batting, the story reflects his grasp of the format’s demands. The phrase low-value wicket wasn’t as in vogue then, but that is exactly what he was.That game awareness, built off some homespun instinct and enabled by the environment at Islamabad, is something that few in the Pakistan side can match. That is what filters through to the national side. It’s been said, for instance, that it was his input that led to the recent tactical flexibility in Pakistan’s batting order. There’s a suggestion Shadab had a fingerprint on the early introduction of Mohammad Nawaz against Glenn Phillips in the semi-final. High pace is usually a good way to go against Phillips but Shadab was aware that Phillips’ can struggle early against left-arm spin. Nawaz took his wicket sixth ball, bowled one more economical over and was done.None of this is to exaggerate Shadab’s role, merely to highlight that Pakistan have come upon, in him and Babar Azam, a valuable complementariness in on-field leadership. Babar’s a more orthodox captain, albeit with sound instincts. Shadab’s approach bounces nicely off this and they get on far too well for it to be any more complicated than that.Not that the last bit matters at this moment. The last Pakistan captain and vice-captain to feature in a world final at the MCG had, you might recall, an infamously complicated relationship. You might also recall where that got them that day.

A look at the former captain’s plans, instincts, vision, charisma and philosophy

Mohammad Isam10-Mar-2020.Forming a core group
After Bangladesh had slipped in ODIs and T20Is in 2014, the BCB decided to split the captaincy for the first time. Mushfiqur Rahim had the Test job, while Mortaza, who had just recovered from an injury, was given white-ball duties. This was going to be a test case for the BCB, particularly because of Mortaza’s injury history which cut short his two previous captaincy stints.Very early in his third stint, Mortaza wanted to do away with Bangladesh’s culture of relying on individuals and wasn’t afraid of rebuking his team when he saw a lack of seriousness. At the same time, Mortaza slowly began to form a core group of senior cricketers from the 2015 World Cup squad, who would be the pillars around whom his team would be built.ALSO READ: ‘Nobody should forget what Mortaza has done for Bangladesh cricket’He had four senior players in the squad already – Shakib Al Hasan, Iqbal, Rahim and Mahmudullah – but two of them were low on confidence. Mahmudullah’s form had been iffy for the preceding two years, but he found some form when he was asked to bat higher up the order in a couple of matches leading up to the World Cup. Mortaza and coach Chandika Hathurusingha sensed that Mahmudullah could do with a bit of freedom for which he needed to be promoted, as he was a stroke-maker suited to playing on-the-rise shots, particularly on occasions when field restrictions were still in effect. Mahmudullah had a good tournament and his 103 from No. 4 against England in Adelaide helped Bangladesh progress to the knockouts for the first time.Mahmudullah believes that Mortaza’s fight for the cause of every cricketer in his team set him apart from all the other captains.
“You must have seen how we spend time together,” Mahmudullah told ESPNcricinfo. “We have a special bond. He fought for every individual player. I am a big example. I was in deep trouble at one point. He was right next to me. He gave me extraordinary support not only as my captain, but as my brother and friend. I will forever be thankful to him. We spent a lot of time together.”Mortaza also helped Iqbal out of a similar rut during the 2015 World Cup. It was an ordinary campaign for the batsman, who was accused by social media trolls of being in the team due to the influence his uncle Akram Khan – former Bangladesh captain, chief selector and later board director – wielded.Mortaza took Iqbal under his wing and gave him all the confidence he could. The result: Iqbal turned things around quickly, slamming two ODI hundreds and a Test double-hundred against Pakistan soon after the World Cup.Building a team
The encouraging performance from Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed in the 2015 World Cup, and the emergence of Mustafizur Rahman prompted Mortaza to ask the then BCB administration to prepare pace-friendly pitches for the ODIs against India. In the first ODI, he went in with a four-man pace attack.It was a wild idea coming from a Bangladesh captain but Mortaza sensed that the best way to counter India’s batsmen would be pace. His four-card trick reaped instant rewards, with Mustafizur leading the way as Bangladesh won the series 2-1.Iqbal said that Mortaza’s insistence that they could beat India rubbed off on the rest of the group, and the team started to believe.ALSO READ: Who will replace Mortaza as Bangladesh captain?“I think one of his greatest quality was how he kept on saying ‘we can win, we can win’, all the time,” Iqbal told ESPNcricinfo. “When he said we can beat India in the ODI series in 2015, it seemed impossible. They were the No. 1 side in the world [ranked No. 2 in ODIs at the time]. But he kept saying it, and that positivity spread around the team. Slowly we also started to believe that we can win.”Mortaza kept this belief in pace at home for much of his captaincy, but Ahmed’s form quickly declined while Rahman lost confidence in his cutters – his main weapon – after his shoulder surgery in 2016. Mortaza himself took the new ball from time to time when the other pacers struggled for form. But for five years, he fought for his belief in the idea that pace works against certain teams even at home, and tried to instill that in his team.An instinctive captain
His winning mentality spurred many progressive ideas for the Bangladesh team management, and one of them was to establish the need for four frontline bowlers. He was keen to cash in on allrounders like Shakib and Rahim (as keeper-batsman), who provided balance to the side with their dual roles. He often said that replacing Shakib meant bringing in two players, so when Shakib was around, and when Rahim kept wickets, it freed up two places for Mortaza, and more often than not, Mortaza picked bowlers.Mortaza was also an instinctive captain who didn’t shy away from deciding to take himself off in the middle of a spell. He once said: “I don’t wait for two or three overs like many captains. If I see that it isn’t happening for a bowler, I will change him after an over. It doesn’t happen with planning, sometimes you just have to make those changes.”Liton Das walks off after his dismissal•BCBA captain with a vision
Mortaza wanted a long-term vision for his team, so he was constantly looking for missing pieces of the puzzle. One of his biggest challenges was to find a suitable opening partner for Iqbal.
For example, in 2018, he publicly gave Anamul Haque the assurance to make the opening slot his own. Haque ultimately failed to do so, but more recently, Mortaza revealed that Liton Das had told him that he only wanted to play as an opener. Mortaza kept that request in mind, and towards the end of his captaincy tried to help Das settle down as an opener too.Mortaza didn’t shy away from backing erratic players either. He famously backed Hossain when his career was derailed by a criminal charge before the 2015 World Cup. Time after time, Sabbir Rahman failed to maintain discipline but Mortaza’s belief in his hitting abilities hardly wavered. Mortaza also backed players with more limited ability like Arafat Sunny, a domestic veteran who came good for a brief period at the highest level. He was also lucky to find Mohammad Saifuddin towards the latter part of his stint.His X-factor, his charisma
Mortaza’s life story, particularly his comebacks from crippling injuries, have often been enough to inspire team-mates, but on occasion, he has had to dig deep. Shane Jurgensen, the former Bangladesh coach, and Iqbal have described two separate incidents where Mortaza’s mere presence changed the mood of the entire team.Incidentally, both those moments came after a Test series drubbing, heading into an ODI series, and both against West Indies, although six years apart. In 2012, after Bangladesh went down 2-0 to West Indies at home, Mortaza took the entire team from Khulna to his hometown Narail for a day out. Jurgensen claimed that the team got into a different mood after that.A similar thing happened in the West Indies in 2018, after Bangladesh were hammered in the Test series. Mortaza wasn’t supposed to head to the West Indies as he hadn’t fully recovered from an injury. He arrived a couple of days before the first ODI, and Iqbal says that one look at him, and the dressing-room atmosphere changed.”I have played a lot of matches with Mortaza so sometimes it takes a bit of time to realise certain aspects of a particular individual,” Iqbal said. “I understood why this guy is so special during our 2018 West Indies tour. We were really down after the Test series. You can imagine the team atmosphere, but then when Mortaza arrived for the ODI series, the whole mood of the team changed. Something just clicked within the team seeing Mortaza.”On both occasions, Bangladesh went on to win the ODI series.Mortaza Mortaza rings in the changes•BCBHis philosophy, a lasting legacy
Mortaza was once asked whether an upcoming match against South Africa, with the series tied at 1-1, was going to be his greatest challenge.”Every challenge is different but there is no bigger challenge for me than to raise my son and daughter.”It wasn’t a jaw-dropping reply but the coming years would reveal that it summed up the person he was, and the philosophy he often tried inculcate. While Mortaza wanted his team to give their 100%, he never wanted them to lose sight of the fact that there was more to life than just cricket, and their careers. He spent countless hours chatting with many of his team-mates in his room, sipping cups of tea, and sharing stories.Iqbal said that Mortaza brought a very Bangladeshi quality to the team setting. “How he treated every player isn’t something common for professional sports teams. You won’t find it anywhere else in the world. But due to our culture, you needed a captain who would really take care of a player who is in poor form,” he said.Mahmudullah said that Mortaza’s focus on the small contributions really made a big difference within the team environment.”A captain is also a player. A lot of times, you need to perform. Even during his crunch time, he kept building the team. He was always worried about the team. He stood tall,” Mahmudullah said. “He always wanted us to perform for each other, enjoy another’s performance. He never overlooked small achievements and contributions. He always addressed those small things, and praised whoever had done it. I think it was a great quality.”

SEATTLE — The most dangerous hitter in the Detroit Tigers lineup has never hit 30 homers, driven in 70 runs or made an All-Star team. Injuries and left-handed pitchers have kept Kerry Carpenter from elite statistical thresholds and acclaim. But don’t do what the Seattle Mariners did in Game 1 of the ALDS: overlook him.

Carpenter is a career .507 slugger who mashes high fastballs. This year he slugged .571 against high fastballs (at least 33 inches off the ground), the 12th best mark among hitters who saw at least 350 such heaters—ahead of Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez and Cal Raleigh.

“One thing about Carp,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “is he can be streaky. But no matter what, he’s looking to get off his A swing. Even if it’s two strikes, he can do damage. And that’s why he is so dangerous.”

The Mariners did not respect the danger ever present in Carpenter’s bat, and that is why they suffered a brutally painful 3–2 loss Saturday. They burned their closer for six outs and still lost, knowing they are staring at seeing the best pitcher on the planet, Tarik Skubal, two of the next four possible games, including Game 2 Sunday. Ouch.

Yes, a 73-mph, 15-hop single from Zach McKinstry plated the winning run in the 11th inning, a run set up by two egregious mistakes by Seattle reliever Carlos Vargas at such a juncture: a leadoff walk and a wild pitch.

But it was one swing by Carpenter that changed everything, a swing that should never have been permitted by the Mariners. Seattle manager Dan Wilson, running his first postseason game, held a 1–0 lead in the fifth with one on, two outs and first base open with George Kirby on the mound. Wilson had his best lefty, Gabe Speier, up in the pen with Carpenter due to bat with another lefty, Riley Greene, behind him.

Wilson sent pitching coach Pete Woodworth to the mound for a conversation with Kirby.

“Yes, in the back of my mind I thought they weren’t going to pitch to me,” Carpenter said, adding with a laugh, “Maybe my first two at-bats convinced them.”

Hinch had set a trap for Wilson by batting Greene and Carpenter back-to-back. By showing he will pitch-hit for either one with lefty masher Jahmai Jones, Hinch puts the onus on the other manager early in a game. No matter what option you choose, Hinch will have the platoon advantage.

Wilson chose to have Kirby pitch to Carpenter, even though Carpenter had four home runs in 10 at-bats against Kirby. Even though Carpenter is a high fastball hitter.

“Yeah. It’s a tough one,” Wilson said, “and you do the best you can and try to take the information that you have and what you’re seeing. And we thought George continued to throw the ball pretty well there and still had pretty good stuff and a lot left in the tank, and he had been in a couple of tough spots earlier, but really pitched out of it well.”

Kirby, a high-fastball pitcher, has the stuff to better attack Greene, not Carpenter.

“With Carpenter,” Wilson said, “you're trying to keep it down in the zone or trying to get him to chase up in the zone.”

Said Carpenter: “I always feel like the more I face people, the more opportunity I have to have success. And so yeah, I was hoping to get another opportunity off him.”

Kirby opened with a slider in the zone that Carpenter fouled. The next pitch was an elevated sinker that was inside but was mistakenly called a strike.

“That ball called a strike probably changed the at-bat,” Carpenter said.

Now the count was 0-and-2. Carpenter had one homer all year after falling behind 0-and-2. It was easy now for Wilson and Kirby to throw caution aside and think they could finish him off.

Kirby missed with a sinker in. He decided to throw a third straight fastball. This one headed straight to Carpenter’s power zone: elevated over the plate. Carpenter crushed it harder than any home run he’s ever hit in his life: 112.5 mph.

He has hit only two home runs at 110 mph or harder, both in the postseason: one off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase last season (110.8) and this one off Kirby (112.5), his fifth home run in 11 at-bats against the righthander.

“That’s what Carp does in the postseason,” McKinstry said. Carpenter has a postseason slash line of .294/.385/.500.

You simply cannot lose a lead by letting Kirby throw another elevated fastball to Carpenter. You knew that going into the game.

Carpenter typifies what the Tigers are about. Other than Skubal, they are low on star power. They strike out way too much. In Game 1 they became only the fifth team to win a postseason game with 16 strikeouts over 11 innings or less. They went 2-for-18 with runners on base, with eight of those at-bats ending with strikeouts. Empty at-bats galore.

And yet they won the game on swings from Carpenter and McKinstry. They used eight pitchers, the last of whom, Keider Montero, secured a save for the first time since pitching for the while playing Little League ball in Venezuela.

“I don’t pay attention to the name on the back,” Montero said after dispatching Randy Arozarena, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor for the save. “No matter when I pitch, I attack.”

Detroit, with all the strikeouts in its lineup and not enough whiffs in its bullpen, somehow is the best team in baseball at winning one-run games (23–12).

The Tigers became the first team to lose five straight series entering the postseason and advance. The wild-card Game 3 win restored their confidence. The dread of blowing a 15.5-game lead to Cleveland and the potential of being sent home by Cleveland has been replaced with the swagger they had in the first half after eliminating the Guardians. Their airways are fully open again. The Tigers are dangerous again, and not just on the days Skubal pitches. 

Former Celtic centre-forward Chris Sutton was particularly scathing of the club’s recruitment after they lost 2-0 to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, the pundit said: “Celtic have massive problems. They have to get to January and still stay in touch. This is a bang average Celtic team and I think Brendan recognises that.

“The signing of Kelechi Iheanacho summed everything up. That was desperation. I’m not saying he’s a bad player but you think back to when Celtic were rotating Giorgos Giakoumakis and Kyogo Furuhashi, that quality, that’s the difference.”

It is hard not to point to the recruitment department when looking for the reason why Celtic have failed to score in six competitive matches already this season.

Celtic needed a striker in the summer, before they sold Adam Idah, and they failed to bring in Kasper Dolberg from Anderlecht, before selling Idah without getting a replacement in. Kelechi Iheanacho then arrived on a free transfer, but they were still down another forward.

Meanwhile, Hearts signed Claudio Braga from Aalesund on top of keeping Lawrence Shankland, and have fired their way to the top of the Premiership table.

What Celtic can learn from the recruitment at Hearts

Tony Bloom invested in Hearts and brought his data expertise with him to bolster their recruitment, and it already looks to have paid off big time for the Jam Tarts.

Braga scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 37 appearances in the second tier of football in Norway in the 2025 and 2024 campaigns for Aalesund, per Sofascore, before his move to Scotland in the summer.

The versatile forward, who can play as a number ten, a second striker, or as a centre-forward, scored two goals against Kilmarnock on Saturday to take his tally to eight goals in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

Braga’s highlights from their win over Kilmarnock in the clips above show that he can operate in positions all over the pitch, with almost a free role because of Shankland’s presence as the focal point for the team.

The Portuguese star is free to roam around the pitch and drop deep when needed to get touches of the ball to make things happen for Hearts, as evidenced by his statistics.

Appearances

8

Touches per game

42.8

Goals

5

Big chances missed

4

Key passes per game

1.1

Assists

1

Successful dribbles per game

0.9

As you can see in the table above, Braga takes around 43 touches per game on average and has been directly involved in six goals in eight matches to show that he is making the most of those touches.

Celtic can learn from the recruitment that Hearts have done for multiple reasons. One, that they do not need to splash £10m on a player from a major European league, as Braga was picked up from the second tier in Norway and has outscored every Celtic player in the Premiership.

Two, that the recruitment needs to be well thought through. Hearts knew they had Shankland leading the line, so they signed the Portuguese ace to be the perfect partner for him.

Celtic, meanwhile, signed two left-wingers, despite Daizen Maeda scoring 33 goals as a left-winger last season, and did not sign a right-winger to replace Nicolas Kuhn, whilst they also sold Adam Idah, a target man and physical presence, and signed Iheanacho, who does not have a similar profile to Idah.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Despite being signed to be the main number nine, Iheanacho has the attributes and the quality to be Brendan Rodgers’ own version of Braga, but the Hoops do not have their own Shankland.

Why Kelechi Iheanacho can be Celtic's own Claudio Braga

For all of the former Manchester City man’s strengths, the Nigeria international is not a target man. He is not going to cause too many problems for opposition defenders with his physicality.

Per Sofascore, Iheanacho has won 1.5 duels per game and won just 38% of his duels in total, whilst Shankland has won 4.4 duels per game and 44% of his total battles on the pitch.

He does not look suited to being the sole number nine for Celtic as a target man, because of his lack of physicality, and that is not his fault, because it is something that the recruitment team should have factored in when they made the signing.

Last season, Michael Carrick utilised Iheanacho as a second striker behind another number nine, which meant that he had the license to drift around the pitch and get involved in the game, instead of being isolated up front.

This means that he has the potential to be Celtic’s own Braga because of his ability to play off another striker. Meanwhile, Maeda is more suited to playing out wide, and has been utilised on the left and right flanks this season, after scoring 33 goals as a left winger last term, per Transfermarkt.

Chances created

1.77

Top 1%

xA

0.17

Top 24%

Pass accuracy

79.5%

Top 12%

Long pass accuracy

100%

Top 1%

Dribble success rate

100%

Top 1%

Touches in the opposition’s box

8.15

Top 12%

As you can see in the table above, Iheanacho has shown great technical ability and link-up play in the Premiership this season, but he has yet to score a goal from open play.

Shankland’s presence and physicality occupy opposition defenders and create space for Braga to ghost into and score, but Celtic do not have a number nine like that who can take the pressure off Iheanacho.

Instead, it currently looks like he has to play the role of Shankland and Braga on his own, which may be why the Hoops have struggled so much in front of goal.

Iheanacho’s position for Middlesbrough and the qualities that he has shown in the Premiership so far suggest that he is more suited to playing like Braga, off another striker, but Rodgers does not have that outlet in the centre-forward position that Hearts do.

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Maeda is a winger, not a target man, so he is not the answer. Therefore, the Hoops need to dip into the market in January to sign a striker who can complement Iheanacho and get the best out of him in the second half of the season, so that he can be as effective as Braga.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham United side are showing signs of green shoots, but there is much work still to be done in the fight to stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier League.

West Ham’s inconsistencies have plunged them into the drop zone, but a glass-half-full mentality would tell you that Nuno has claimed eight points from four games and the squad’s understanding in this new system is tightening, deepening.

But this is also a precarious and anxiety-inducing position. Former technical director Tim Steidten left much to be desired on the recruitment front, and now additions are needed up top and across the backline.

West Ham need to sign a striker

Niklas Fullkrug’s £27m transfer from Borussia Dortmund to the London Stadium has not gone to plan. Injuries have been the German striker’s biggest inhibitor, but he has scored only three times across 29 matches, and a winter exit, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, looks on the cards.

The 32-year-old has indeed been slated for a January departure, probably back to his homeland, and that leaves West Ham in a sticky position, with Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson in need of support.

Help may arrive in the form of Santiago Gimenez, with Italian outlet Il Messaggero relaying that the Mexican forward is destined for a move to the Premier League, with the Irons one of the clubs who could put forward a bid of around €30m (equating to £26m).

Sunderland are also interested, and given that Milan would be open to selling the 24-year-old for around that price, the Londoners will need to be snappy in getting a deal done.

What Santiago Gimenez would bring to West Ham

Gimenez stands at 6 foot 1 and is a physical and imposing attacking profile. In this, he would be the perfect profile to replace Fullkrug, whose physicality and focal command in the box are among the finest in Europe.

After joining AC Milan from Feyenoord last winter, Gimenez made a positive start to life in Serie A, scoring five goals and supplying two assists across the latter half of the 2024/25 campaign, playing 14 times and starting only seven of those games.

However, he has petered out under Massimiliano Allegri’s wing this season, yet to score in the Italian top flight. Gimenez is still relatively young and has the athleticism to succeed in the Premier League, and he could be the perfect presence to dovetail into the front of Nuno’s system, having been hailed as a “machine” in the box by talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past.

His particular approach suggests he would be perfect for Nuno’s West Ham project, Chris Wood would bear testament to that, having been the spearhead of the Portuguese tactician’s incredible tenure at the Nottingham Forest helm, prolific and talismanic.

Wood is among the most physical and commanding strikers of recent years; certainly, his blend of clinical shooting, steely hold-up play and intelligent movement has allowed him to blossom into “one of the best in the Prem”, as claimed by reporter Jamie Martin.

And his time in Nuno’s system proved a match made in heaven for both. Now, Gimenez could make his mark as the new version, especially if given the trust and care that have been lacking throughout his year in Italy.

Under Espirito Santo’s stewardship, Wood enjoyed arguably the most productive spell of his career, scoring 20 goals from 36 Premier League matches as the Tricky Trees secured a place in Europe.

Sean Dyche

165

53 (0.32)

Nuno Santo

60

32 (0.53)

Garry Monk

48

30 (0.62)

Nigel Pearson

62

20 (0.32)

Kenny Jacket

19

11 (0.58)

Chris Hughton

29

11 (0.38)

Gimenez could play a similar role in this West Ham team, the catalyst for attacking change after a tough chapter in the club’s modern history.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 6, 2025

The Los Angeles Dodgers made two major roster moves on Wednesday that are directly related. Longtime catcher Austin Barnes has been designated for assignment and the team has called up 24-year old prospect Dalton Rushing to take his place.

Barnes has backed up Will Smith this season and appeared in 13 games. He is just 9 of 42 at the plate this season while posting a career-low OBP. Rushing, the Dodgers' 2024 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year, has been lighting it up in Triple A this season where he's hit five home runs to go with a slash line of .308/.424/.515.

Barnes made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2015 and was a member of World Series championship teams in 2020 and '24. In 2020 he appeared in 10 of the team's 18 postseason games, went 8 for 25 with three RBI and scored four runs. He also homered in Game 3 of that World Series.

Rushing will presumably take Barnes's spot backing up Smith and find him at-bats wherever they can. The Dodgers are again one of the best teams in baseball, but only have a half-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West.

Leeds United are in some strife this season. After a strong start, the Whites find themselves in another relegation fight, with just 11 points to their name. That puts them one point clear of the drop zone, and with West Ham United and Nottingham Forest now two unbeaten, they could get caught.

Perhaps this was to be expected by Leeds fans at the start of the season. ESPN journalist Bill Connelly was someone who thought they’d go straight back down to the Championship, explaining that they “probably will have to figure out how to get by with defensive organisation and random bursts of quality attacking.”

Well, it’s not worked out like that so far, with manager Daniel Farke’s future now under question again.

Why Farke’s Leeds future is in doubt

Connelly identified a strong defence and clinical attacking bursts as the keys to how the Whites could keep themselves in the Premier League. Those two things have both been lacking so far this term.

Defensively, the West Yorkshire outfit have left a lot to be desired. They’ve been leaky at the back and have conceded 20 goals.

Despite signing three attackers in the summer, Farke’s side have managed to score just ten goals, better only than bottom-place Wolves.

This has, once again, brought the German’s job into question. He was reportedly close to getting sacked last season, but Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe said Farke is “my man” going into the Premier League adventure.

Circumstances can change quickly, though. Now, reports are suggesting Farke has five games to save himself. After losing the first one against Nottingham Forest before the international break, games against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool await.

It does seem inevitable that Leeds will have to sack their manager sooner or later. They seem to have a new boss lined up who could get them thriving in front of goal again.

Leeds’ perfect Farke replacement

If Farke is removed from his post as Leeds head coach, journalist Graeme Bailey recently put forward a name for who could replace him.

He says that the pressure is piling on, especially ‘when you have a manager like Brendan Rodgers available,’ a man Leeds could well move for if they sack the German.

Rodgers was once described as a “world-class” manager by Gabby Agbonlahor on talkSPORT, after his impressive performances at Leicester City.

The Foxes were punching above their weight for years, partly thanks to the Northern Irishman’s contributions.

At the King Power Stadium, he looked to capitalise on quick transitional situations, with some dangerous attacking players at his disposal. Those included the likes of James Maddison and star striker Jamie Vardy.

In fact, getting the best out of his strikers has always been a key feature of Rodgers’ management, no matter what club he was at.

He has coached some big-name centre-forwards, including Vardy and Luis Suarez, all of whom have enjoyed success under the Northern Irishman.

Most successful strikers under Rodgers

Player (club)

Games

Goals

Jamie Vardy (Leicester)

157

70

Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

81

61

Moussa Dembele (Celtic)

94

51

Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester, Celtic)

151

46

Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)

70

43

Stats from Transfermarkt

That could be music to Leeds fans’ ears, given their difficulties in front of goal. Perhaps Rodgers – and his attack-minded 4-3-3 setup – can be the guy to finally get them thriving in front of goal.

He may have a new striker to work with, too. Troy Parrott is a target for the club, according to recent reports, and could be on the move this January.

He has been on fire with club side AZ Alkmaar since moving there last summer, and has 33 goals and seven assists in 61 games.

Of course, he was the hero for the Republic of Ireland last week, helping them reach the World Cup playoffs.

That is exactly the sort of goalscoring prowess that Leeds are lacking at the moment. Despite having three strikers on the books, they are missing that clinical edge in front of goal.

Parrott, however, has just that, and could be the difference maker – much like Vardy was in the past under Rodgers.

With Rodgers’ impressive track record working with strikers, Parrott could be the next number nine the potential Leeds boss gets the best out of.

Together, they might be the perfect pair to get Leeds scoring goals and get them out of this relegation battle.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 19, 2025

France have sent Kylian Mbappe back to Real Madrid after the forward reported persistent ankle inflammation, ending his international break early despite scoring twice against Ukraine. The national team captain has returned to the Spanish capital to undergo further tests, forcing Didier Deschamps to adjust his plans for the final qualifier in Azerbaijan.

Kylian Mbappe sent back home by France amid discomfort

France confirmed an abrupt change to their squad when Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga and Manu Kone were all released before the final World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan. Kone is suspended, Camavinga has a hamstring strain, and Mbappe has been dealing with recurring inflammation in his right ankle.

The problem resurfaced after France’s 4-0 win over Ukraine, a night in which Mbappe scored twice and reached the 400-goal milestone. Despite completing the match, he felt renewed discomfort the next morning. After consultations between the France Football Federation (FFF) and Madrid, the decision was made to withdraw him from the trip to Baku and send him back to Spain for further assessment.

The FFF made the situation clear in its communication: Mbappe was not fit to continue and required additional medical evaluation in Madrid to determine the extent of the inflammation and prevent escalation ahead of a demanding club schedule.

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Mbappe’s ankle issue is not new. He missed France’s second October fixture with the same inflammation and has been managing flare-ups for several weeks. Although he played the full match against Ukraine, the symptoms intensified afterwards, prompting concern among both Deschamps’ staff and Madrid’s medical team.

Despite the sudden nature of his departure, the FFF insists there is no major injury, only recurring irritation that increases with workload. Madrid, preparing for league and Champions League commitments after the break, preferred to examine him immediately.

Los Blancos expect Mbappe to be available after the break, barring any new findings. in Spain reports that there are no signs of a serious issue but further tests are expected.

Chance for Ekitike to step up

With Mbappe out, the window opens for Hugo Ekitike, who has impressed each time he has featured for France since his senior debut in September this year. His contribution against Ukraine on Thursday with a goal, an assist, and a shot against the post in just 23 minutes further strengthened his case for more responsibility under Deschamps.

Ekitike has made five appearances since his August call-up and continues to build momentum both with France and Liverpool. Sunday’s qualifier offers him another chance to make a statement in Mbappe’s absence.

Camavinga, meanwhile, is also returning to Madrid after a week without training due to left-hamstring discomfort. Deschamps had already brought in Khephren Thuram as cover, and the FFF confirmed Camavinga was not fit for either match. Madrid expect him to return in time for their La Liga match against Elche on November 23. As per sources, both Camavinga and Mbappe are expected to be fit for Madrid immediately after the break.

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AFPWhat's ahead for France and Madrid?

France will finish their qualifying campaign without Mbappe, but with their place in the 2026 World Cup already secured by topping the group with 13 points, the situation is manageable. Deschamps will use the Azerbaijan match to rotate, evaluate depth and give opportunities to players who have shown progress, including Ekitike and Thuram.

For Los Blancos, the timing is sensitive but not alarming. Mbappe remains their leading scorer and the top scorer in La Liga this season, while Camavinga has become increasingly influential under Xabi Alonso. Both are central to Madrid’s plans as the club prepares for a dense calendar of league and European fixtures.

Medical updates from Spain indicate that neither player is carrying a serious injury. Mbappe will not undergo extensive testing unless symptoms worsen. Their return, alongside recovering teammate Thibaut Courtois puts Madrid in a strong position when they resume their season.

After he emerged as an early candidate to take the job, sources have shared Scott Brown’s stance on replacing Brendan Rodgers in the Celtic dugout.

Chris Sutton names "obvious choice" for Celtic

Rodgers shock exit has sparked several rumours as to who could arrive to replace the veteran manager. Many expected the former Leicester City boss to leave at the end of his contract next summer, but the Bhoys have now been left with no choice but to replace him several months early following his resignation.

Already eight points behind unexpected leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership after suffering a 3-1 defeat against Derek McInnes’ side on Sunday, Celtic must get their next permanent appointment right.

On that front, one name that has already been mentioned is Ange Postecoglou. Having initially hired Rodgers to replace the Australian in 2023, Celtic could re-hire Postecoglou to come full-circle in a decision that Chris Sutton would certainly back.

The Celtic legend told Sky Sports: “I think Ange Postecoglou would be a really smart appointment. He was loved the first time round.

“His brand of football went down well in Glasgow. He’s out of work. I think that would be a pretty obvious choice, a good choice and bring a lot of positivity back to Celtic, which they need right now.”

The 60-year-old arguably needs the Bhoys just as much as they need him these days following a disastrous 39-day spell in charge of Nottingham Forest. After being sacked twice by two Premier League clubs in the last year though, it remains to be seen whether he’ll make such a swift return.

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It may be too soon for Postecoglou and the same may be said for ex-player Scott Brown, who also knows Celtic incredibly well.

Celtic job would come too soon for Scott Brown

Among the early candidates for the job has also been Scott Brown. The legendary midfielder has been perfecting his craft as a manager since 2022 and is now in charge of Ayr United. According to PA Media sources, however, the Celtic job would reportedly be coming too soon for Brown.

“The former Celtic captain is seen as a long-term candidate, but is still learning his trade as a manager with Ayr following a spell at Fleetwood. The 40-year-old led Ayr to the William Hill Championship play-offs last season and has them third in the table. Given the instability around the club, squad and league position, the timing does not look ideal for the former Scotland midfielder.”

For any young manager, especially those more inexperienced, the Celtic job would represent an incredible risk. The Bhoys need the stability that O’Neill could first lay the foundations for and an option like Postecoglou could provide. As things stand, they cannot afford to take a gamble on Brown, who should continue to learn his trade at Ayr United.